Saturday, 28 June 2014

I had seen these miniature golden animlas around the internet so many times and thought they looked so nice but had never seen them at shops anywhere. SO I just decided to DIY my own, it looks simple enough... And it certainly was!

I went and bought these too little rubber animals from a toy shop just down the road from where I work. I chose an elephant and what I assume to be a goat with horns. Does anyone know what this little fella is actually supposed to be? 'Cause I don't! I also picked up a can of golden spray paint from Homebase and went to town on them! I debated getting the rose gold spray paint for a minute, but I thought the gold would be a more "neutral" colour to go for and I think I've made the right decision! Spraying them was so simple. I just took a cardboard box and cut out the top and front bits so I could protect the (outside) walls from the paint and it worked brilliantly! I recommend spraying from afar and doing thin coats, or else you might get paint drips on the animals, which don't look so great! Also, make sure to check very thoroughly to make sure all the nooks and crannies on the toys are actually painted! I thought I was done after a few coats, only to discover I had completely missed the bottom of the little guys!

These can be so versatile and I've seen these being used in a variety of ways. As an accent lounge accessory like I've done, as table decorations for parties to glued on top of mason jars for a touch of fun! There really is no end to how you can display them and I think they look absolutely darling!

This was actually my first ever go at DIYing! Are you guys big on it?? x

Friday, 13 June 2014

I've probably shared this story before, but here it goes again: when I moved in with my then fiance (now husband), he had spent the last few years house sharing so he actually didn't have any furniture of his own! When we moved into our first flat, all we had was, quite literally, a mattress and a television! We slowly furnished the whole flat over the course of six months, which I really enjoyed! I loved being able to choose everything I wanted instead of having to settle for furniture just because it was already there!

The main thing that had been missing for us was some extra sitting for when we have visits! The love seat is great for us for cuddling and watching movies together, but when we have people over I mainly end up sitting on a cushion on the floor and someone else might get "comfortable" on the coffee table! That is no more, my friends!

This is the IKEA Hastveda rattan chair (completed with the Marieberg chair cushion, which looks pretty thin on the website, but it's actually really good quality and comfortable)! I chose it because a) I think it looks good (hehe) and b) it compliments our baskets perfectly, really pulling the whole room together. Our living room isn't the biggest, so I was afraid it would get a little crowded but I've been proven wrong. Also, with the addition of that red cushion, it's amazing how much brighter it makes the room feel!

And just for fun, I wanted to share this with you guys: it's our wedding invitation! haha I love it so much, I just had to frame it. The best and cutest part is, it was drawn by my mother-in-law! She's an amazing illustrator of children's books and she designed this just for us!

Sunday, 8 June 2014

Essie might just be the most popular nail polish brand between us bloggers! The cute packaging, great names and awesome quality of the formulas make it a must have in any collection! The brand was founded by Essie Weingarten herself in the early 80's. She had the stroke of genious of going to Las Vegas to sell her first bottles. She figured she needed a place where people had disposable income AND where people always need to look their best, including their nails. And it all took off from there. The fact nail varnishes are an affordable luxury for most of us makes the brand grow more and more each day. Essie names all the colours herself, which I think adds a very personal touch to each bottle. Here are the ones I own at them moment:

Wicked

a shade I originally thought was Essie's version to the hype surrounding Chanel's Rouge Noir, until I found out Essie came out with this shade back in the 80's. Talk about having some vision! It comes off a very modern and elegant dark red, which I've been obsessed with!

Chinchilly

remember in my perfume post when I said in Brazil we have a kind of saying "smells like something a rich girl would wear"? Well, I think this is a shade that looks like one a rich girl would paint (or rather, have it painted for them!) on their fingers. haha

Fishnet Stockings

a slightly darker tomato-ey red, it's one of those colours most women have in their collections for a reason! A classic and elegant shade that suits every occasion and has basically become a neutral, fitting almost any outfit!

Turquoise & Caicos

the fun one of the lot, it's ridiculous how I always get compliments on my nails when I have this on. I've even gotten a compliment from an old man once and he wasn't even trying to hit on me! That's how nice it looks on!

Muchi Muchi

the "good girl" shade! We all have "Wicked" moments, but then we all have "Muchi Muchi" moments (or Ballet Slippers moments!). This is the shade I wear when I want to feel super feminine and sophisticated! What is yours?

Monday, 2 June 2014

Hello there, it is only me, the missing owner of this very blog! I have no excuses for my absence and I'm sure you all wouldn't be interested in hearing any anyway, so I'll just get on with it! Since I last saw you, I have only gone and moved house and gotten a new job!

If I'm being completely honest with you, I can't say I was thrilled with moving a mere block away from our last place. I really liked that flat and really saw ourselves living there for a good few years to come still. But then the owner decided to sell the place and since we're not in a flat-buying position at the moment, we had to leave. We still wanted to be in the town centre for convenience reasons and we found a great two-bedroom place just a block away. Plus, upgrading from a one to a two bedroom meant my husband can now have his electric drum kit in the flat, which pleases him greatly and means he can start teaching drums again which pleases me greatly (cha-ching!). I've also been really enjoying decorating the place and piecing together some more accessories for the living room, which means your can expect more decor posts! And on the job front...

Some samples of my initial (terrible) work and then an actual good one which I made just yesterday!

I've started working as a barista! I started last April and am now a part of the Boston Tea Party team. It's a chain of 15 cafes spread mainly around the West of England. However, it is a family owned business, which I guess helps keep the independent vibe to each cafe, which I love! Working as a barista has always been in the back of my mind if I'm honest and it is everything I expected! It can be a lot of hard work, but meeting new people every day and making good coffee really is a pleasure! I've met some great people who have been really encouraging and really lovely about my wonky ferns and bubbly milk... Luckily it all does come with practice and my drinks are looking and tasting better every day!